Avalon, Part 2 (902)

[Hyperspace]

Fun episode, an improvement over Avalon pt 1 which I also liked. Some thoughts...

...I thought that the Dr. was Landry's ex-wife, but now I see it as his daughter makes more sense.

Seeing Vala burn up was also just like the 'limited gene pool' bit, where the disdain some have for Vala was personified...she burned. Very graphic and unsettling, but powerful...and fortunate that she was revived.

Like the new team, the 'Daniel and Vala at Renaissance Fair' is a good way of putting it, for some reason I was reminded of the village from ST:TNG's premiere ep, "Encounter at Farpoint."

As for the Ori, I think it'll be a huge challenge to make them seem as real a threat compared to the past villains, and yet not soo powerful they make the past seem to pale in comparison. Also yet another major villain that lasts for seasons and seasons might not be the best way to go...or is it? And is Ori short for Origin?

Also, why didn't Daniel and Vala grab those 2 stones in the book? I thought it was kinda Myst-like, where you teleport between worlds...

...also like to know what the Arthurian legend connection is. Swordfight cool, et al cool, but Daniel and Vala overshadow it all, and Mitchell and Landry have little to do so far. Soon to see more...

[UngoauldedUnas]

Overall, I liked this episode. I need to watch it again to really make a fair assessment, but I thought it was pretty good. The sword fight with no blood being shed was awesome. But then Vala being burned... wow... that was graphic.

[Nee]

my only wish is that SciFi would have just had an SG-1 night. Show all of the first three episodes together. The problem I have is that each episode totally doesn't stand alone and they seemed too chopped up. Like the first half of this episode belonged to the last half of last weeks. Then the second half seemed to be a totally different episode to me.

I hate these to be continued episodes, show um all at once i say.

Part 2 was good if the rest of the season is as good, no complaints here.

[Sparky13]

Yeah, she was definitely more likeable in this one. Just have to comment, can't wait to see more of Vala and Daniel's interactions. They just drive each other crazy, and it is awesome to see on screen. Shanks and Black play the parts very well.

I agree. It is good a see Daniel interacting with a woman again. Vala is obnoxous, but she is also clever, curious and looks great in black leather. What more could a man want? She also died very well and then came back to life--just like Daniel did!

Sparky

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, Vala and Daniel were pretty funny this time around. I was on the floor when Vala told him about that "procreation... with herself" bit and Daniel was like, "Oh... OH!" His expression and everything on those lines were hilarious.

[Seastallion]

Great episode..!

I loved the whole thing. I really liked the Star Wars reference made by Col. Mitchell (...a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. ). Then right after that was the, "One of these things is not like the others"...! I can still hear the music that goes with it on Sesame Street... *sings* One of these things... is not like the others... LOL I loved that..!

[AGateFan]

The "he has no idea what you just said" line was pretty funny too and pretty unexpected considering I was thinking Mitchell was serious with the military thing, but then he didnt expect to get overheard and sometimes you say different stuff when you think no one is listing. I like his reaction when he knew he was caught... back to mr serious military guy.

[Mio]

A quick question before a more detailed analysis later...

Cam's puzzle appeared to be the reflections of Arabic numerals. Is this even remotely historically accurate? I was under the impression that Arabic numerals didn't get over to Europe until the 1200s AD and the King Arthur legend and Merlin was supposedly between 400 and 600 AD? Any history buffs out there to clarify this?

Maybe the computer read his mind and the little puzzle pieces were really holograms?

[rosewood]

I liked that whole scene - Daniel trying to get Landry's attention (and talking way too fast), then Landry's "tell me to send you and I will" back. Plus the comic timing of Mitchell, Landry and Daniel before and after the "he had no idea what you said" comment at the door was great. It will be interesting if we do see Landry go off world in the future.

Loved that Sci Fi Friday started with Firefly last night! Ooops, back to SG1...

Liked the sword fight - good action.
Dakara visits - this was distracting. Nice emotion by CG. But how can I know if Teal'c should be as concerned that Gerak is leader when I've never seen Gerak? (Did I miss it?) Talking about a character that has not been shown to the audience... writing 101 - show, don't tell.

The switch to the "Renaissance Faire" scene was a bit jarring, but well acted by CB and MS. Good reaction by Mitchell when Lam said Vala is dead. I could see the "somebody got killed on my watch already" thoughts pass across his face.

I'm still confused about the distinction between Alterrans/Ancients - are they same, or are the Alterrans the Milky Way tribe descended from the Ancients and the Ori are going to be some other galaxy's tribe descend from the Ancients?

Part 2 was good...here's hoping Part 3 continues in this way and the Ori hold up as the new Big Bad.

[keshou]

When I first saw the spoilers for these episodes I thought - oh no. A potentially cheesy sword fight with a knight and a village scene that reminds me of "Demons" (not exactly my favorite episode )

Happy to say my fears weren't realized. Well not totally. I hope to never see another sword fight on Stargate.

But overall I enjoyed it. The hour flew by. I like seeing the new characters work with the old characters. In fact the first two episodes I've hardly glanced at the clock which is always a good sign for me. (Way too many clock-watching episodes the last three seasons if you know what I mean.) I actually kind of gasped when Vala caught on fire and found myself quite moved by that whole scene.

Special mention to Joel Goldsmith. I really thought the music had a lot to do with selling the whole medieval/fire scene in the last 15 minutes. It added tension and drama and made it much more effective. So thanks Joel! See we do pay attention on occasion.

Speaking of the characters.....

*Vala. See - if they just give her some depth and angst and drop some of the risque sex talk and take her out of the s&m outfit she can be a GOOD character. I really enjoy her snark and the way she needles Daniel. They're a lot of fun together. Vala gets some great lines.

*Mitchell. In spite of the cheesy sword-fighting scene I have to give Ben credit. He made it work pretty well. Still - I won't be unhappy to leave the "Merlin was an ancient" portion of this three-parter behind.

*Daniel. Thank goodness for close-captioning. I'm beginning to think MS and DH are having some kind of contest. Still - I thought MS did a great job in the whole medieval scenes. He seems as invested in playing Daniel as I've seen in a long time. He and CB have good chemistry and really sold the brutal fire scene. Also - the beard looks much better when he's in peasant clothes and without the glasses.

*General Landry. Hmm....I did like his exchange with Mitchell. "I heard that". Still I find him a little off-putting although I'm hopeful I'll eventually like him.

*Dr. Lam. I just kept going "oh - there's Lexa" when I saw her. I don't know. I just loved Janet so much - she's a hard act to follow. Guess it's just a wait and see on this one.

So much of these first three episodes is just set-up for the rest of the season. SG-1 doesn't exist right now. It's just setting up the new villain, introducing the new characters, etc.

A lot will depend on the introduction of the Ori next week. I hope they pull it off.

I've seen some comments about the fire scene being too gruesome. Frankly I thought it *made* the episode. It's been a long time since Stargate really took some chances. I thought it was dramatic and well-done. Loved the overhead camera work.

And it's not like we haven't had some pretty brutal scenes before. Teal'c's torture scenes in Serpent's Venom were pretty brutal. Screaming over and over. So was Jack being tortured in Abyss. Maybe it would have been nice to have an advisory though since evidently there are some parents who let young children watch the show.

[Lida]

Well, I was surprised. I liked Avalon, Part 2. Yes, Vala's being there was contrived, but CB's acting, plus the toning down of her overtly sexual quips, made it more than bearable, I enjoyed her.

As for Ben Browder as Mitchell, I still think he was an excellent choice, as he adds a spark the show would otherwise lack. He is great with one liners, which exactly what the part needs. Anyone catch his Sesame Street reference?

I think Beau Bridges is still doing a great job as Gen Landry, he is NOT supposed to be a Hammond clone, plus, he's new. He has to be tough, and besides, he has yet to form any personal bonds with his "crew".

The new doc. It would have been nice if they had explained why they had her there, rather than an Air Force doc. Also, it would have been nice if the technical advisor had told them how to run a REAL code. Sorry, but she leaves me cold and she is just NOT believable. I'll take ole' Doc Frasier any day. Oh well.....

As for MS, he has been talking rather fast, hasn't he? I know it isn't "drugs", so why are the writers making his character seem so, "dorky"? It's almost like he's going back to "his" roots. I liked the "old" (as in recent seasons) Daniel, more self assured, more assertive. Hopefully, this is just an aberration.

Teal'c is really toned down, but I think it's a set up for the fireworks to come with Gerak. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Over-all, I feel better about SG-1 this week, than I did last week and I'm looking forward to the conclusion of this 3 parter, next Friday.

[kazbaby]

Is it bad that I was squeeing like a 14 year old girl during the swordfight? Of course, I have a thing for that type of deal. But one thing I really loved was that Rocky vibe I got. I'm a sucker for the 'comeback', and dude... Mitchell was seriously getting his tail whooped there.

I didn't find the flashback cheesy at all. Mitchell was exhausted at that point, and he would more than naturally pull on something to keep him going and him not giving up during his recovery can be seen as decent motivation to continue the fight.

Loved MS and CB in their scenes, especially the ending there.

Teal'c...damn I love it when he's p*ssed off!

I'm so looking forward to next week.

[Liebestraume]

This episode felt like two decent stories strung together. Though somewhat disjointed, each has its own merit.

I was happy to see Teal'c finally got to speak -- many lines, and pretty fast! Besides that -- and the rather stunning-looking stock photo of Jaffa homeworld -- very little of what goes on there interested me. However, I understand TPTB was just trying to give Teal'c another cause to re-join the Tau'ris, and perhaps laying some foundation for future storyline; so that was good enough for me.

The sword fight didn't feel "cheesy" to me (but, then, I'm a big fan of Indiana Jones). In fact, I thought that was the first time I was shown -- instead of mere told -- why Mitchell deserved his place on the team. I was rather glad for it. Having been a big-time downer on the flahbacks in the last episode, I think the brief one in this episode actually worked. And the flip-flop between "he had no idea what you just said" and the perfect-soldier demeanor was strangely endearing.

Daniel looked the old Daniel to me, his nose buried in a book, his hands where they shouldn't be . If anything, I think there has been a slight improvement from last season when he occasionally seemed rather bored or slightly annoyed. Here he actually seemed to care. I think MS gave an especially powerful performance in the scenes leading to Vala's burning at the "stake" and eventual revival.

Vala continues to grow on me, thanks in no small part to CB's performance. This actress knows how to do over-the-top as well as subtlety, and her nuanced perforrmance near the end of the episode told us a great deal about her character: here is a woman of intelligence, good humor, as well as vulnerablity. To make her way in the world(s), she had to construct a tough exterior out of the the first two qualities to hide the third.

A minor complaint: it would have been a better idea to air the first three episodes in a single showing. I'd have wondered what Avalon had to do with Salem, if it weren't for the spoilers in these threads. However, "spoiling" should never be part of story-telling techinique.

[AGateFan]

I want to say somthing about the sword fight.

Some people may think the fight itself was cheesy, that Im not going to argue with because everyone has their opinion of what cheesy is. But the actual fight itself, the way it was choreographed was done much better then most sword fights you see on TV (outside of Highlander). Take a look at the Farscape ep with the sword fight, that was aweful, even embarrising (the fights no comment on the ep since BB wrote it). As are most hand to hand combat scene's you see on other Sci Fi shows (startrek and Tasha Yar come to mind as particularly horrendous)

So even if you thought the fight was cheesy you still must IMHO give 2 thumbs up to Bam or whoever put that fight together because it was very well done.

Also the Special Effects guys get points for the cool way the holographic blades impacted each (although the last swing by Mitchell was a bit OTT)

[Jonisa]

I really enjoyed it. I was completely invested all the way through the entire episode, never glanced at the clock once.

The good:

Daniel/Vala interaction. For me, these two have a lot of chemistry. I'm not saying that I want their relationship to go in any particular direction, but I sure do like these two together. They're entertaining. I loved the look on Vala's face when she was considering taking the coin. Hee. Also loved how Daniel has figured her out. "What'd you take?" Heh.

Daniel in archealogist mode. I loved Mitchell's remark that the first thing Daniel reaches for in a room filled with treasure is a big, dusty book. So Daniel.

Mitchell. I like his interactions with Landry, Daniel, Teal'c. He's funny without being Jack. "One of these things is not like the other," and "He didn't understand a word you just said."

Landry. Really like him. Gruff, no-nonsense, but fair. Looking forward to getting to know him better.

The Final Act: That was powerful. CB and MS played it very well, and I was very engrossed in what was happening to Vala and Daniel's reaction to it. I found it suspenseful, and I can't remember the last time I've been that on edge when I watched Stargate. (The no-spoilers rule I imposed on myself this year has helped immensely with that. )

The "I'm not sure how I feel about yet":

Lam. I liked that she definitely has a personality, in contrast to the female doctor at the beginning of Season 8. Need to see more of her to form more of an opinion.

The not-so-good:

Teal'c and the Jaffa stuff. Love Teal'c, love CJ, but I have very little Jaffa storylines. That's just my personal opinion, and admittedly, it was an extremely minor part of the episode.

The swordfight. I think Ben Browder did a good job with it, but it was just a leeetle too cheesy for me.

Overall, I thought it was great.